Sorrento is a beautiful town perched on a cliff high above the sea with views of Vesuvius and the islands in the Bay of Naples . Use this website to help you plan a visit to this elegant southern Italian resort and find your way to the best beaches and some lovely villages and towns along the Sorrentine peninsula that are perhaps less well known to tourists.

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Friday, January 27, 2017

Meta

Enjoy the beach of Meta Alimuri

The sweep of beach at Meta is in the foreground with theSorrentine Peninsula stretching into the distance

The long expanse of beach known as Meta Alimuri has made the town of
Meta, near Sorrento, a popular seaside resort in its own right.

A short drive, or bus ride, north east of Sorrento, Meta lies between
Piano di Sorrento and Vico Equense on the main coastal road going in the
direction of Naples .

A road leads down to the beach from the centre of the town, making it easily accessible by
car or bus. There is a good stretch of grey, volcanic sand with free access,
even though some Meta hotels have their own private sections of beach. From the
beach there are lovely views across the Bay of Naples.

There is a bar and restaurant next to the beach, deck chairs and sun
umbrellas can be hired and there are opportunities to rent boats.

The name 'Alimuri' is said to relate to a story from the early 16th century when a feared Saracen pirate called Alì landed at the beach only to be confronted by local people. In the fight that followed, Alì was killed, prompting jubilation in the crowd. The shout of 'Alì muri' went up, telling people in the town above the beach that the enemy had been beaten.Look for a hotel in Meta with Expedia

Meta has a long history of boat building and by the 19th century its
shipyards were producing hundred of boats, with the local women sewing the
sails for them in the courtyards of their houses.

Although steamships eventually replaced sailing boats, the shipyards
continued to produce the Sorrentine Gozzo, a small sailing and rowing boat that
enabled the occupant to fish and row at the same time.

The facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Laura at Meta

It is fascinating to wander through the narrow streets in the historic
centre of Meta and see the old houses where boat builders and seafarers lived
centuries ago, with their large courtyards.

Meta has a magnificent church, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Lauro,
which is right in the centre of the town, just off the main road.

The church was built in medieval times on the site of an ancient temple
after a local deaf and dumb woman was said to have found a statue of the Virgin
Mary under a laurel tree and then miraculously had her hearing and speech restored.

It was rebuilt in the 16th century and restored and modified in the 18th
and 19th centuries. The wooden door is from the 16th century building and the
Chapel of the Madonna del Lauro has an old wooden statue of the Virgin and
frescoes from the 18th century.

Meta celebrates the Festa of Santa Maria del Lauro every year on 12
September.

The Line A bus from Sorrento to Meta Alimuri will take you close to the
beach, or you can travel on the Circumvesuviana train to Meta and walk down to
the beach from the station.

If travelling by car, you will find parking close to the beach, but spaces can be in big demand during the summer months.

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SORRENTO GUIDE BOOK

A good guide book for visitors to Sorrento is Frommer's Amalfi Coast, which has a whole chapter devoted to the town and its peninsula, including information on lesser known attractions of the area that other guide books sometimes ignore.

This book takes readers on a tour of the Sorrentine Peninsula, starting from Castellamare di Stabia, with details of other places on the peninsula such as Vico Equense, Massa Lubrense, Sant’Agata su due Golfi, Nerano and Termini.

ITALY ON THIS DAY

CRIME NOVEL SET IN ITALY

DEATH IN THE HIGH CITY

A cosy crime novel set in Lombardy in northern Italy, Death in the High City is believed to be the first British crime novel to use Bergamo as its location.

The book is the first in a series of Butler and Bartorelli Mysteries, featuring detective duo Kate Butler, a journalist, and Steve Bartorelli, a retired Detective Chief Inspector.

Death in the High City centres on the investigation into the death of an English woman who had been staying in the beautiful Città Alta while writing a biography of the Bergamo-born composer Gaetano Donizetti.

Death in the High City is available from Amazon in paperback and as an e-book.

WEATHER IN SORRENTO

Where is Sorrento ?

Sorrento is an historic coastal city in Italy’s Campania region, situated 50km to the south of Naples . It is served by the international airport at Naples and can be reached by rail, road or boat. Sorrento is a good base for visiting the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, the Amalfi coast or the Roman ruins at Pompei and Ercolano.

VISIT OUR SISTER SITES

If your love of Italy stretches beyond Sorrento and the south, you may enjoy visiting our sister sites, devoted to the elegant and historic northern Italian cities of Bergamo and Padova.

Situated just north of Milan and close to the lakes and mountains, Bergamo has become a familiar name because of its major international airport but is an attractive place to visit in its own right, combining contemporary sophistication with medieval charm.

Padova, an elegant city in the Veneto less than half an hour by express rail services from Venice, boasts a picturesque historic centre, one of the world's oldest universities and notable buildings including the Scrovegni Chapel, which houses a renowned cycle of frescoes by Giotto that is recognised as a masterpiece of western art.